History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.614

v7.c93.614

The eleventh chapter deals with *tantra* which embraces cases where one act serves the purpose of several other acts or rites.²¹⁹⁸ For example, there are three yāgas viz. puroḍāśa (cake) baked on eight potsherds for Agni, curds for Indra and milk for Indra; one performance of the Prayājas serves these three (XI. 1. 5-19 and XI. 1. 29-37). Ādhāna (establishment of the sacred fires) is to be done only once and is not to be repeated in each iṣṭi, paśuyāga or somayāga (XI. 3. 2); the utensils required for Śrauta rites are prepared only once and are to be kept till the death of the sacrificer (XI. 3. 34-42).²¹⁹⁹ All these are cases of *tantra*. The general rule is that the place, time and the performer as regards all principal matters in one composite rite such as Āgneya and others in Darśapūrṇamāsa are one (XI. 2. 1) and also that they are the same for aṅgas (details); but in the case of the aṅgas (details) the place, time and the performer may be different on account of express texts.